ASHES-winning captain Michael Vaughan's hopes of reclaiming the urn as a player are all but over after he was left out of England's 16-man training squad for this summer's series alongside fellow 2005 hero Steve Harmison.

The former skipper, who resigned his post last August in a tearful press conference, had vowed to earn a recall to the side through sheer weight of domestic runs and had set his sights on the Test series against Australia.

But, having started the season as a live contender for the number three slot, the Yorkshire batsman first saw Ravi Bopara establish himself in the side with three consecutive hundreds against the West Indies and then endured a lean spell in county cricket - a run which effectively ruled the 34-year-old out of the selectors plans.

Harmison, meanwhile, has also been omitted, with inexperienced duo Graham Onions and Tim Bresnan selected alongside the fit-again Ryan Sidebottom to provide back-up to first-choice pair James Anderson and Stuart Broad.

But the Durham quick has at least been given the chance to force his way back into the Ashes plans after being named in the England Lions team to face the tourists in a four-day warm-up at Worcester on July 1.

That Vaughan has not been handed a similar opportunity, with the likes of Stephen Moore, Joe Denly, Eoin Morgan and Vikram Solanki all favoured ahead of him, suggests only a catastrophic loss of form from the top order or a crippling bout of injuries would see him restored to the side.

National selector Geoff Miller insisted that players outside of the 16-man party would still be considered for the Ashes, which starts at Cardiff on July 8, but warned that only standout performances on the domestic circuit would aid their cause.

For Vaughan that means a considerable improvement on the 159 first-class runs he has compiled in six outings this season, with a top score of just 43.

"Michael Vaughan will, of course, be disappointed not to have been included, but I met with Michael recently and he understands that he needs to make runs consistently in county cricket if he is to force his way back into the squad.

"We will continue to consider players outside the 16 chosen for the camp and will closely monitor performances in domestic cricket as the international season progresses. The door has not been closed on any player at this stage."

Yorkshire chief executive Stewart Regan, meanwhile, expressed surprise at the decision to sideline a player of Vaughan's stature.

"He's a fantastic cricketer, a great leader and obviously the last captain to win the Ashes for England. We all thought that leadership and that experience might have been brought him into the reckoning for Andrew Strauss, to have him alongside him in the dressing room," Regan told Setanta Sports News.

"Going into an Ashes campaign with the former England captain at your side is not a bad position to be in.

"We thought Michael should have been bought in, if not for his performances on the field for his leadership qualities."

Elsewhere in the training squad, England have opted to give all three spinners in contention a chance to prove themselves.

Frontrunner Graeme Swann is joined by an out-of-form Monty Panesar and leg-spin prospect Adil Rashid, a signal that England are giving serious consideration to playing two slow bowlers on what is expected to be a turning track in the opening Test.

Swann and Panesar will play together in England's three-day warm-up against Warwickshire, which also starts on July 1, while Rashid, who impressed during the recent World Twenty20 campaign, joins Harmison in the Lions side captained by Ian Bell.

"Adil Rashid's inclusion reflects our view that he is maturing all the time as a cricketer and has the potential to develop still further," said Miller.

"We have chosen two spinners in our side to face Warwickshire, but this does not necessarily mean that we will opt for the same balance in our bowling attack in the first Ashes Test. An extra pace bowler still remains an option for our starting line-up at Cardiff."

As expected all-rounder Andrew Flintoff takes his place both in the training camp and the Warwickshire match having proved his fitness with Lancashire.

England will now name their squad for the Cardiff Test on July 5, a day later than originally planned.